Prefabricated covered swimming pool

ABSTRACT

A COVERED STEEL SHELL SWIMMING POOL HAS CORRUGATED SIDES. A TRANSPARENT COVER HAS A DOMED AND HINGED OVERHEAD ACCESS OVER A DIVING AREA. A DECK IS PROVIDED AT ONE END OF THE POOL FORMING AN ANTEROOM WITH HIGH HEAD CLEARANCE. THE ROOF SLOPES DOWNWARD OVER THE POOL AREA WHERE HEAD CLEARANCE IS NOT IMPORTANT.

Feb. 2, 19 71 A. KORMANN 3,559,215

' PREFABRICATEDY COVERED SWIMMING POOL Filed June 9, 1969 Fig. 2

INVENTOR.

A Li /QED KO/Q/VIA/V/V United States Patent M 3,559,215 PREFABRICATEDCOVERED SWIMMING POOL Alfred Kormann, 8011 Eglharting, near Munich,Germany Filed June 9, 1969, Ser. No. 831,385 Int. Cl. E04h 3/16 U.S. Cl.4-172.12 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A covered steel shellswimming pool has corrugated sides. A transparent cover has a domed andhinged overhead access over a diving area. A deck is provided at one endof the pool forming an anteroom With high head clearance. The roofslopes downward over the pool area where head clearance is notimportant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION existing cellars are usually insufficientfor the construc-' tion of pools big enough to permit free swimming.

Indoor swimming pools should have an excellent thermal insulation andshould be heatable in the simplest way possible without additionalheating elements. Furthermore, pool structures should definitely preventthe formation of condensed water. While being of relatively smalloverall dimensions, the pool buildings should provide great spacecomfort for the swimmer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention serves the purpose ofconstructing compact indoor swimming pools which possess high stability,with the smallest possible use of materials, so that even prefabricatedpool buildings of over meters can be transported in one piece. Thepresent swimming pool building for the indoor swimming pool consists inpart of the pool proper, which is preferably of rectangular shape.Another part of the construction shell surrounds the pool proper. Threeof the outer walls serve simultaneously as walls of the pool proper andas walls of the hall. The material used for these walls is wide ribbedor corrugated steel sections covered with a synthetic material. Outerwalls support a hollow double walled ceiling, which slipes towards arear end wall of the pool which corresponds with a building side wall.The ceiling carries a support for a light-diifusing transparent cupola,which is located just above the front end wall of the pool proper. Inthat area, the hollow ceiling forms a water jacket by means of which thesupport of the cupola is heated.

The front wall of the poolconstructed as the other three walls ofcorrugated sectional steel coated with a synthetic materialis placedright under the cupola, and the cupola height permits a person to standalong the edge of the water. The front wall of the pool simultaneouslyforms one wall of a compartment which houses water purificationequipment anda water heater, as well as underwater floodlights.

Above that, a deck compartment, at a level higher than the pool bottom,forms an anteroom, preferably even to the basement floor. This anteroomis also constructed of a sectional steel-synthetic combination. It has aceil- 3,559,215 Patented Feb. 2,, 1971 ing, which is connected with thesupport of the light cupola.

It is advantageous if the sectional steel synthetic coating combinationconsists of sectional sheet steel, coated on the inside with waterproofchlorinated-rubber paint or a similar material and on the outside with ahard foam insulating matter, which is applied over an etch primer. Inthe preferred more developed form of the invention, the pool shell istransportable by means of lifting eyes fixed on the outside and so thatthe shell can be immersed into a basin provided for the structure.

A further advantageous development of the invention is characterized bya rectangular dom-shaped, double walled transparent cupola, which haspivots on one of its longitudinal sides. That permits the cupola to belifted by means of well known mechanical, electrical and/or hydraulicdevices. The preferred embodiment further is characterized by vent holeslocated in the neckhaped support of the light cupola opposite thelongitudinal side which is provided with the pivots. Depending on therelative humidity of the air in the inner room of the swimming poolhall, these vent holes can blow hot air onto the inner wall of the lightcupola. A fresh air blower, which is regulated in a well known manner bya hydrostat equipped with a heat exchanger, blows air through these ventholes and the side slit between the edge of the transparent cupola andits neck-shaped support. The ventilation slit is adjustable by themechanical, electrical or hydraulic device that serves to raise thecupola. In the area of the cupola support, it is preferable that thehollow ceiling construction contains some heat radiating surfaces ininclined arrangement; those surfaces radiate heat towards the entry ofthe pool, and towards a large part of the water surface.

The drawings show a preferred example for the realization of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS They show: FIG. 1 a verticallongitudinal cross section. FIG. 2 a top plan view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The entire hall body consists of apool 1 and an anteroom 9. Pool 1 is bounded by a part of the sidewalls 2and 3, the rear wall 4 and the front wall 6. Simultaneously, the latterwall 6 partially bounds compartment 8, containing the water treatmentand heating plants. The pool room has a hollow ceiling construction 5,which is sloped downward towards rear wall 4, and which bears hollowneck-shaped support 10 for the light cupola 7 above the pool wall 6 andthe water treatment plant compartment 8.

The hollow support is at the same time constructed as a heating element.The hollow area in neck 10, which forms a water jacket serving to heatthe pool room 1 and the anteroom, is connected to an existing centralheating system. Those heat radiating surfaces in neck 10 radiate heat inthe direction of the entry of the pool, and towards a large part of thewater Surface. Heat from neck 10 also causes a stratification of the airin the pool room, which substantially inhibits the ascension of watervapors to the light cupola. Simultaneously, the pool water is slightlyheated. If the room temperature is kept a few degrees, say 3 C., abovethe desired water temperature, that is normally sufficient to offseteventual thermal losses of the pool water, so no additional heating isrequired, in case, however, water jacket 10 in the light cupola supportturns out to be inadequate to heat the pool, additional hollow sectionsof the cupola roof can be converted into heat radiating elements; or anadditional inner wall can be attached to the outside Wall and can serveas a heat radiating surface for a heating element.

As seen in FIG. 2, the transparent cupola 7 has on one of itslongitudinal sides two pivots 12, and therefore can be lifted by meansof any conventional mechanical or hydraulic device. At the side wherethe pivots are located, warm air can be blown on the inner surface ofthe cupola by means of ventilation openings which are not shown in thefigures. Warm air is supplied by a fresh air fan, provided with a heatexchanger and regulated in the known manner by a hydrostat. That side ofthe light cupola 7 which lies opposite pivots 12 and the air vents isprovided with a ventilator slit 11, which is located between the edge ofthe light cupola 7 and its neck-shaped support 10. The ventilation slit11 can be regulated by the mechanical, electrical and/or hydraulicmechanisms, which lift light cupola 7.

The pool construction contains an anteroom 9 adjacent the poolcompartment 1 and above the water treatment plant compartment 8.

The floor of the anteroom preferably lies higher than the pool bottom,namely on the same level as a basement floor of a house, so that afterconstruction of a matching opening in a side wall of anteroom 9, thepool is accessible through a door in an outer basement wall of a house.

If, therefore, the indoor swimming pool is immersed into a basinadjacent to the basement wall of a house, only junctions with the watersupply, warm water heating, sewer system and electrical circuit of thehouse need to be established, and the swimming pool can be used soonafter delivery.

What is claimed is:

1. A covered swimming pool shell intended for use with a major portionunderground comprising a pool formed with interconnected sides and abottom made of sheet material, at least some of the sides extendingupward from the pool, a roof overlying the pool, integrally connected toand supported by the upwardly extending sides and an entrance in theshell providing access to the pool.

2. The covered swimming pool shell of claim 1 wherein the roof definesan opening having a rim and wherein there is a transparent coverdisposed on and supported by the rim.

3. The covered swimming pool shell of claim 1 wherein a deck extendshorizontally from one side of the swimming pool.

4. The covered swimming pool shell of claim 3 wherein other sides of thepool extend upward and wherein walls extend upward from the deck andwherein the roof is supported on the upward extending deck walls andpool sides.

5. The shell of claim 4 wherein the pool sides, deck walls and roof forma continuous enclosure for the swimming pool.

6. The shell of claim 5 wherein the roof defines an opening having acontinuous rim and wherein a transparent cupola is supported on the rim.

7. The shell of claim 6 wherein the rim is hollow whereby fiuid iscirculated through the rim.

8. The shell of claim 7 wherein the rim is sloped inward and upward fromthe roof to the cupola and wherein the circulating fluid in the rim isheated.

9. The shell of claim 5 wherein the cupola is hollow, whereby air iscirculated in the cupola.

10. The shell of claim 9 wherein the cupola has openings along a firstedge thereof for receiving air and wherein openings are provided in asecond edge opposite the first edge for expelling air therefrom, whereinthe cupola is hinged by connecting the first edge to a correspondingportion of the rim, and wherein the apparatus further comprises meansconnected to the cupola and to the rim for raising the second edge ofthe cupola from the rim.

11. The covered swimming pool shell of claim 1 wherein the sides areconstructed of wide ribbed metallic sheet material coated with polymericmaterial.

12. The covered swimming pool shell of claim 1 wherein the roof definesan opening having a rim and further comprising a transparent coverdisposed on the rim, hinge means connected to the rim and to the coveralong an edge thereof, lifting means connected to the cover and to theroof and spaced from the hinge means, whereby the cover may be raisedforming a ventilation slit between the cover and the rim opposite thehinge means, and means for introducing air along a bottom face of thecover adjacent the hinge means, whereby air passes along the bottom faceof the cover and out through the ventilation slit.

13. A swimming pool shell intended for use with a major portionunderground comprising a pool formed with interconnected sides and abottom made of sheet material, a deck connected to an upper edge of atleast one side and extending outward therefrom laterally away from thepool, at least one of the sides extending upward from the pool, a roofoverlying the pool integrally connected to and supported by the upwardlyextending sides and an entrance in the shell providing access to thepool.

14. A swimming pool enclosure comprising continuous interconnected sidesextending upward from a lower. surface of a swimming pool and a roofintegrally connected to the sides, thereby forming an enclosure, saidroof having an opening and having a rim surrounding said opening and amovable transparent cover disposed on the rim over the opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,015,191 1/1962 Lucchesi4l72.l9X 3,094,708 6/ 1963 Caldwell 4l72.l2X 3,214,872 11/1965Vogelgesang 52169X 3,353,309 11/1967 Kwake 522 3,395,407 8/1968 Teschner52169X 3,427,662 2/1969 Jacuzzi et al. 4l72.l9 3,443,265 5/1969 Hauck4-172.12 3,443,263 5/1969 Minasy 4l72.l9 3,475,768 11/1969 Burton 4172.12

FOREIGN PATENTS 4,294 10/ 1890 Great Britain 4l72.l2 216,681 6/1924Great Britain 4l72.l2 175,938 9/1935 Switzerland 4l72.l2

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner U.S.Cl. X.R. 4l72.l9; 52169 'zg gg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATEOF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,559,215 Dated Feb. 2, 1.971

Invent A fred Kor nn It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 13, "dom-shaped", should read dome-shaped Column 2, line66, after "required cancel the comma and insert a period: cancel "in",insert In Column 2, line 69.

after "cupola" insert or Column 4. claim 13, line 6 thereof, "one"should read some Signed and sealed this 6th day of April 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD I LFLETCHERJR. WILLIAM SCHUYLER, J1 Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patent:

